1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel training device which instructs a soccer player to accurately aim and kick a soccer ball and to defend a soccer goal.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Soccer is a sport played on a field with boundaries and consists of the following elements: two opposing teams, a soccer ball, goals located on either end of the field, and is governed by the laws of the game. A soccer team is comprised of not less than seven and not more than eleven players, one of whom is the goalkeeper or “goalie.” The purpose of the goalie is to guard the goal and prevent the opposing team from scoring.
The goal is located at either end of the field and is comprised of two upright posts located 8 yards apart, called the goal posts and a horizontal cross bar connecting the tops of the goal posts at a distance 8 feet from the ground.
The failure of a player to properly position himself or herself in the goal reduces their chances of blocking a shot kicked toward the goal, referred to a shot “on goal”.
Other players attempt shots on goal, in which a shot on goal is any attempt to score a goal according to the rules of the game. A goal is scored when the soccer ball passes into the goal.
A common problem an opposing player faces is to achieve accurate aim, prior to a shot on goal, in relation to the goal and the other players on the field. The failure of the player to optimally position him or herself in relation to the goal reduces the chances that the player will score.
Due to the positioning of opposing players on the field, there may be no straight line into the goal. An experienced soccer player would have to curve the ball around players or objects to get it into the goal.
Prior art devices rely on the existence of a “straight shot” to the goal, which do not require the player to curve the ball into the goal.
Currently, there is a need for a soccer training device that provides an easy to use mechanism for teaching player kicking the ball into the goal and one defending the goal to position themselves properly. In addition, there is currently a need for a soccer training device to teach a player how to spin the soccer ball to curve it into the goal.